CHAPTER 420: CHAPTER 415 THE GRAND SCHEME OF THE SECT! DEFECTING TO THE ENEMY?_1

"Junior Brother, this matter must be reported to our fellow disciples!" Zhuo Chengdao explained. The cultivators of the Lingbao Sect share a common destiny; they prosper or suffer together. In the Heiyuan Secret Realm, Lingbao Sect disciples had suffered heavy casualties, unable to counter the Demon Cultivators from the Shimo Sect. If they stayed in the Heiyuan Secret Realm, they would be surrounded by enemies, isolated and without support. Zhuo Chengdao also said this as a reminder to Jia Ren. Personal grievances between disciples could be settled in private without affecting the overall situation of the Sect.

"Let’s do as Elder Brother Zhuo says."

The Lingbao Sect camp was like a bright lamp, firmly attracting the gaze of the Demon Cultivators from the Shimo Sect. The two of them hiding in the shadows could act even more covertly.

Zhuo Chengdao took out a communication Magical Treasure to contact familiar True Disciples of the Lingbao Sect and inform them of the situation.

BOOM!

An earth-shaking explosion sounded from the southeast, exactly where the Sect’s camp was located. The sound of the explosion came quickly and disappeared just as fast.

Before long, a response came from Zhuo Chengdao’s communication Magical Treasure, "Elder Brother Zhuo, you have done a great service for the Sect. Had you not warned us in time, the Demon Cultivators would have contaminated Lingbao’s Sun-Devouring Divine Hound Heart, and the consequences would have been unthinkable. We will request the Sect to commend you for this. Please return to the camp, Elder Brother Zhuo."

Had Zhuo Chengdao not warned them in time, the Lingbao Sect cultivators wouldn’t have realized someone was being controlled by Demon Cultivators, aiming to destroy the core Spiritual Treasure. Once the Lingbao Sect’s core Spiritual Treasure Formation was breached, they would have been unable to maintain their unity, becoming completely disorganized. By then, facing Demon Cultivators with superior individual combat abilities, they would have been completely outmatched.

"I’ve also heard about what happened with your Junior Brother. Qi Shixiong will apologize to him."

Qi Shixiong was the one who benefited the most from this incident. He was in control of Lingbao’s Sun-Devouring Divine Hound Heart and was the Demon Cultivators’ primary target. Zhuo Chengdao had saved his life.

Hmph, I really didn’t want to save that guy! What’s the grudge he has with Junior Brother Jia? Zhuo Chengdao felt unhappy. If not for the sake of the Sect’s overall situation, he would have gladly seen that Qi fellow die at the hands of the Demon Cultivators.

"He and Qingfeng Shidi come from the same master—this is what Qingfeng Shidi has been whispering in his ear."

The Insect External Incarnation had been quietly listening by the side until this moment when it finally solved the case. If Qingfeng hadn’t been mentioned, I would have completely forgotten about him. This debt will be settled with him sooner or later.

"It’s quite comfortable out here. We’re not going back!" Zhuo Chengdao unhesitatingly refused. How could they be content returning empty-handed from this outing? There were too many people in the camp to share treasures with. It would be difficult to gather even one or two Spiritual Treasures, far from enough to satisfy his appetite.

"Junior Brother Jia, you played a part in this achievement. The Sect’s reward will be shared with you fifty-fifty."

Jia Ren shook his head, refusing, "Elder Brother Zhuo, this is your merit. I cannot shamelessly claim credit."

Zhuo Chengdao insisted in an irrefutable tone, "Since we brothers collaborated, it’s only fair that we share equally. Without your Bewildering Spirit Bead, how could I have had the chance to approach the target and gather intelligence? Half of this merit belongs to you."

Heart-Mind Sensing has a limited range. The closer the distance, the better the effect. Without the Bewildering Spirit Bead to shield perception, how could Zhuo Chengdao have approached the target so composedly?

After its repeated refusals proved fruitless, the Insect External Incarnation had no choice but to accept.

「...」

The Shimo Sect Demon Cultivators’ plans were thwarted, and they were enraged. The Lingbao Sect cultivators had gathered, forming a defense as solid as a turtle shell, leaving no openings. If the news leaked out, the Lingbao Sect would be doubly cautious, and it would be harder for them to find an opportunity.

"How did the news leak out?"

"To fall short at the critical moment!"

"We must find another way! If we don’t deal with the Spiritual Treasure Formation, we have no chance of success..."

"The Elders have given the order. If the Lingbao Sect cultivators aren’t dealt with, we’ll all be sent to the Black Demon Cavern."

The Demon Cultivators quickly exchanged information and dispersed. Many True Disciples among the Demon Cultivators harbored deep animosities towards one another. They could only manage to unite against the Lingbao Sect. Without external pressure, if they stayed together, it would likely end in a life-or-death struggle.

「...」

The Insect External Incarnation and Zhuo Chengdao kept changing locations, using Heart-Mind Sensing to find solitary Demon Cultivators.

"Found one!" Zhuo Chengdao’s eyes lit up as he fixed his gaze on a green-skinned Demon Cultivator, who practiced an unknown demonic art and was flying rapidly into the distance.

For some reason, the green-skinned Demon Cultivator had an inexplicable sense of dread. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time. The last time was during his Golden Core Stage, when he was ambushed by another Demon Cultivator. He dared not be careless. His skin turned a greenish-black, no longer resembling human flesh. His eyes glowed with an eerie green light, like those of a wolf. The green-skinned Demon Cultivator scanned around, seeking any suspicious targets. His sweeping gaze found nothing. The danger did not materialize, and the strange feeling vanished as if it had never been there.

A misperception? A false alarm. There was no danger.

So he thought, but he didn’t relax his Corpse-Stiff Physique, turning into an Escape Light and speeding far into the distance.

"Junior Brother, why didn’t you strike?"

It was rare to find a lone target. With the element of surprise—the prepared against the unprepared—the probability of killing him was high. Letting such a great opportunity slip by was truly painful.

"Elder Brother Zhuo, do you still remember the agreement between us? Once I deem the enemy too difficult and chances of victory are not high, I will give up on the target."

Zhuo Chengdao managed a forced smile and quickly said, "I understand, we’ll do as you say, Junior Brother."

The target had been too alert; he had sensed them before they could even make a move. Our chance of a swift kill was only seventy to eighty percent. Better to change targets!

Most Shimo Sect cultivators preferred to act alone, so finding a suitable target wouldn’t be difficult.

Four hours later, Zhuo Chengdao found a new target: a Mid Nascent Soul Stage Demon Cultivator.

A Mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivator becoming a True Disciple of the Demonic Path and surviving this long? It was highly probable this person possessed a Spiritual Treasure.

Jia Ren exchanged glances with Zhuo Chengdao, and the two of them silently approached. The Mid Nascent Soul Stage Demon Cultivator, clad in a black robe, flew quietly, unaware that danger was creeping upon him.

Jia Ren unleashed his Heart Sword! The invisible sword struck towards the Demon Cultivator. Caught off guard, the Demon Cultivator suffered a hit from the Heart Sword, his eyes briefly filled with confusion before a look of agony took over. His mind was too scattered to concentrate, preventing him from employing any Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities.

A massive surge of corpse qi rushed toward him as thirty Late Nascent Soul Stage Silver Moon Yakshas attacked, immediately overwhelming the helpless Demon Cultivator.

BUZZ!

A dark light flared from the Mid Nascent Soul Stage Demon Cultivator’s body, transforming into Crow Light Black Armor that firmly shielded him, resisting the external attacks.

This was... a Lingbao Protector!

Magical Treasures and Spiritual Treasures differed fundamentally. Spiritual Treasures possessed Spiritual Nature and intelligence. If one could resonate with its owner’s intentions, it would automatically protect the owner without needing to be consciously controlled. The Demon Cultivator possessed a Defensive Spiritual Treasure, which activated to protect its master when he faced a fatal threat. Unfortunately, the Spiritual Treasure’s own power was limited. How could it withstand the assault of thirty Late Nascent Soul Stage Silver Moon Yakshas?

The protective dark light generated by the Spiritual Treasure lasted only for an instant before shattering. Still dazed, the Demon Cultivator was torn to shreds by the Silver Moon Yakshas on the spot. A ball of red flame descended, instantly incinerating the remnants of flesh and Divine Soul. It was unclear whether the Demon Cultivator possessed any Divine Skills like an Immortal Physique that allowed regeneration from flesh and blood. The best course of action was to eradicate him completely, leaving no loose ends.

"Cough... Junior Brother, are these all your Corpse Refinements?!" Zhuo Chengdao’s voice was hoarse, his disbelief evident. He had heard of Jia Ren climbing the tower with Corpse Refinements and thought there would be at most a few. After all, Corpse Refining was a heterodox practice, not part of orthodox cultivation. Apart from Jia Ren, there wasn’t another Corpse Refinement cultivator in the entire Lingbao Sect. Cultivating Corpse Refinements was not easy; having a few at the Late Nascent Soul Stage was already quite remarkable. He had greatly underestimated Jia Ren.

There were just... so many! Thirty Late Nascent Soul Stage Yakshas! Who in the Heiyuan Secret Realm could withstand such a force? Forget sweeping through all the Shimo Sect Demon Cultivators; they could easily gang up on and defeat three Nascent Soul Stage Demon Cultivators from the Shimo Sect!

Zhuo Chengdao’s expression became odd as he looked at Jia Ren. Are you truly a disciple of the Lingbao Sect, or... a Shimo Sect cultivator? Something felt off!

This was, however, good news for Zhuo Chengdao. He had invited Jia Ren to team up, partly with the intention of looking out for him, hoping they could both profit greatly. Now it seemed that Jia Ren was the real powerhouse, capable of hunting Demon Cultivators on his own. He was the one being carried along.

"Junior Brother Jia, you have... rather a lot of Corpse Refinements... You weren’t involved with the Demonic Sect before, were you? Have you now renounced evil and returned to the righteous path?"

It was no wonder Zhuo Chengdao’s mind raced with wild speculations—what orthodox cultivator would possess so many Corpse Refinements? Even a Mid Nascent Soul Stage Demon Cultivator specializing in the Path of Corpses couldn’t possibly field so many Yakshas whose strength surpassed his own. It was outrageous!

"These were gifts from an elder, not many," the Insect External Incarnation said, trying not to reveal any secrets and deflecting the blame onto Wang Fugui.

The Corpse Refinements it had shown were just the tip of the iceberg, merely one-tenth of its total. Over the past few years, unable to upgrade its Magical Treasures, it hadn’t wasted the Sacrificial Fire from the Demon-Sealing Tower, instead converting it into Corpse-Ritual Fire to cultivate Corpse Refinements. To date, its number of Late Nascent Soul Stage Silver Moon Yakshas exceeded three hundred. This didn’t even include the Flying Stiffs that had perished failing to advance. Ninety percent of the Corpse Refinements obtained from the Yin Moon Palace and the Corpse Demon Sect had been used up, leaving few low-grade ones behind. Three hundred Silver Moon Yakshas deployed at once would be like a tide of corpses; few cultivators of the same stage could withstand them. While individually weaker than Shimo Sect True Disciples, overwhelming them wouldn’t be an issue. Successfully killing a target, however, depended on preventing their escape.

"Junior Brother Jia, with so many Yakshas at your disposal, why fear the cultivators from the Shimo Sect? The guy from before shouldn’t have been allowed to escape." Zhuo Chengdao, recalling the ’escaped’ individual, felt a pang of regret, as if a great treasure had been lost.

"I wasn’t absolutely sure."

Zhuo Chengdao was dumbfounded. Thirty Yakshas, each comparable to a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator! Who in the Heiyuan Secret Realm could possibly be their match? Jia Ren’s strength was arguably number one in the Secret Realm!

Zhuo Chengdao recalled how Junior Brother Jia, presumably to avoid unwanted attention from the Sect, had not yet advanced to become a True Disciple of the Heterodox Peak, and he sighed inwardly. His Junior Brother was excellent in every way, just far too... cautious. If he were the one with thirty Yakshas, he would have gone on a rampage long ago, slaughtering Demon Cultivators left and right! Countless Shimo Sect Demon Cultivators would have fallen at his hands, and he’d be swimming in Spiritual Treasures, River Mountain Bags, and Spirit Storing Bags! Still, it wasn’t too late now!

"Junior Brother Jia, you could afford to be... a bit bolder. With our teamwork and thirty Yakshas, taking down... say, two or three Shimo Sect cultivators should be no problem at all!" Zhuo Chengdao’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, as if he could already see countless Spiritual Treasures waving at him.

The Insect External Incarnation remained unmoved; it would never strike without one hundred percent certainty of success.